Award Winners
Award Events
Artistic Visionary
Name: Mo Dhaliwal
Year: 2012
Presented By: Gurjinder Rana, Capital Tiles & Stone
Bio:
With over a decade of experience in the technology sector and an impressive background as a patron of the arts, Mo Dhaliwal is an inspiration to those both in and outside of the artistic community. While Dhaliwal’s background is centred around his passion for software and web technologies which led him to California as a Software Engineer, his return to Canada had him questioning the cultural and socio-political differences between neighbouring countries. This has led to his involvement with a wide variety of cultural initiatives. Dhaliwal’s most notable undertaking was his founding of the Vancouver International Bhangra Celebration Society (VIBC), an organization dedicated to the exploration of music and dance from the Punjabi region of India and Pakistan.
Dhaliwal has been a board member of the Alliance for Arts and Culture and is also a member of the Vancouver Asian Heritage Month Society. He was involved in the Cultural Olympiad as well as the City of Vancouver’s anniversary celebration. In 2009, Dhaliwal joined the Multicultural Advisory Council for the Province of BC.
“It was a real moment of validation for me,” he said. “Being recognized as a volunteer for the community, amongst the esteemed attendees, went a long way towards reflecting my personal values to the community. Getting involved with arts and culture is the best way of creating connections between people, and the best way to understand the world around you.”